A VOICE IN HARTFORD


Last week at the Enfield Town Council meeting the Council approved a resolution to join and support the Connecticut Municipal Consortium for Fiscal Responsibility.

The Connecticut Municipal Consortium for Fiscal Responsibility is a broad and growing alliance of municipal boards, ranging from Town and City Councils, to Boards of Selectmen, Aldermen, Education, and Finance - who think that more focus needs to be placed on strengthening the ability of locally elected leaders to effectively manage their towns own fiscal affairs.

To date 200 boards representing over 100 towns and cities across the state have joined in endorsing the Consortium - a bipartisan and grassroots cost-management initiative whose platform focuses on three fiscal reforms that are common to the three legislative agendas of COST, CABE, and CCM. There is strength in numbers as they grow in their ranks and prepare to weigh in against powerful special interests that seem able to run the legislature.

One of their self-defined objectives is to lobby against unfunded mandates, an issue I have spoken about more then once. These mandates put overwhelming strain on local budgets by forcing town leaders to fund items that were created in Hartford.

I asked Scott Kaupin, Enfield’s Republican Council Leader about Enfield joining the Consortium. Here is what Councilman Kaupin had to say:

"By supporting the efforts of the consortium, Enfield joins a growing list of municipal leaders from across the state in this grass-roots lobbying effort. Town Councils, Boards of Selectmen, Boards of Education, and Boards of Finance from over 100 cities and towns are working together to stop costly unfunded state mandates and to seek changes in the binding arbitration and prevailing wage laws. The goal is to return control of municipal budgets to the local elected leaders. Enfield's support of the consortium is an important milestone for the lobbying group and I look forward to working with municipal leaders from across the state on these efforts."

It comes down to the power of numbers in the game of lobbying. The elected official sent to Hartford need to know the burden that “unfunded mandates” have on the local taxpayer.

Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA) had this to say about “unfunded mandates.”

“Both state and local officials believe that municipal mandates are a growing problem that must be addressed if Connecticut is to remain a desirable place in which to live and conduct business.
Local officials in Connecticut agree on the most basic aspect of municipal mandates: Fully funded mandates are acceptable, but unfunded and under funded mandates are not.
Partially funded and unfunded mandates are problematic and unfair, because they create significant fiscal and administrative burdens on municipalities. Unbudgeted mandates constantly cause cities and towns to determine whether to increase taxes and fees, or cut programs and services, in order to fund them. Sometimes the local government must do both.
When local taxes rise or programs change, taxpayers often respond by pressing their municipal officials to do a better job of controlling spending. The fact is, local officials are unable to control expenses related to state-mandated legislation. It’s a situation that has led several officials to claim that unfunded and under funded mandates are simply a form of “taxation without representation.”

It comes down to fairness to the taxpayer. When the legislature approves mandates that have no money attached to implement the new directive it causes local town leaders to dig once again in the pockets of property owners.

The Enfield Town Council took a wise step in joining this consortium. It gives the town of Enfield a louder voice in Hartford.

The Enfield Town Council has a tough job ahead in the year 2007, especially with the new evaluation of properties that was just completed. The budget process will take a great amount of work to hold down taxes this year, while continuing the great services we all enjoy.

Joining this group shows that the leadership of Enfield has vision and is willing to do what is necessary to address one of most costly issues called “unfunded mandates”. Not a bad way to begin the new year.
Greg Stokes